The place to start
Stephen Espinola | Brooklyn NY | 03/10/2008
(5 out of 5 stars)
"This volume and its "Volume 2" companion are the best-mastered in-print CD compilations of Fletcher Henderson's 1925-1928-era band I am aware of. This one covers the Don Redman era in its prime. The performances and arrangements are superb. The brilliant John R. T. Davies did the mastering.
These are sourced from late acoustic-era and early electronic 78 rpm recordings, so the original fidelity left something to be desired. Harmony and Vocalion were budget labels designed to ease the transition from acoustic-compatible turntables into the new-fangled electronic systems. That said, the most natural sound possible has been brought out of the problematic discs, and these are a pleasure to listen to. In the cases where better electronic recording technologies were originally used (especially on the non-Harmony recordings of late in this volume and volume 2) the clarity of sound is impressive.
Start here."